


You’re Really Naive If You Think This Is About Waffle Fries.

by BloodFrost



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren Fluff, Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship, Confusion, Developing Relationship, First Dates, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gay Male Character, I Ship It, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Kylux - Freeform, Love, M/M, One True Pairing, Romantic Fluff, Short & Sweet, Shyness, Star Wars - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:48:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21584812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodFrost/pseuds/BloodFrost
Summary: Armitage Hux has been experiencing a bit of a slump lately. He’s fresh out of college, with a degree — yet he still hasn’t been able to find a decent job yet (still working at the part-time job he had during school), nor is he able to afford to live on his own. And perhaps most depressing of all, his love life is dead in the water.However, a chance meeting with an enigmatic waiter might be the key to shifting his fortune in the romance department; that is, if Hux can make sense of his intentions, first.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 44





	You’re Really Naive If You Think This Is About Waffle Fries.

“I really don’t need this, Phasma. I’m fine. I’m absolutely fine. Really.”

Phasma just shook her head and continued to drag him down the sidewalk, ignoring his protests.

“Yeah, you do. C’mon, you like dogs, don’t you?”

“Well yes, but ...”

“But you’re more of a cat person, right? Well, I already thought you’d say that, and guess what? This place has a special room for just cats, so, your excuses are invalid.”

They had reached the door, and Phasma quickly straightened out her hair, brushing the tiny bits of snow from her bangs. Hux sighed, and opened the door, holding it for her.

Armitage Hux (better known as, simply, Hux) was facing a bit of a rough patch in his life. 23, and just out of college, he was having difficulty putting his Bachelor of the Arts degree into good use, and finding a steady, full-time job. Right now, he was still working part-time at the diner he had been a waiter at since he’d started school 5 years ago. While he liked the people he worked with, and made some pretty good tips, he knew that the modest income wouldn’t be enough to sustain him much longer; especially now that he wasn’t living in a grant-covered dorm anymore.

The woman beside him right now, Phasma, had been his best friend since high school. Although the two had gone to different colleges, they had maintained their friendship. Once Hux was out of the dorms, Phasma had offered him the spare bedroom in her small apartment, until he ‘got on his feet’.

Which Hux was grateful for.  
But.

Living with Phasma, in a way, made him feel guilty. Against her protests, he paid her a small amount in rent each month, but he wished he could do more. Phasma was a lovely, affable girl, and she likely could have found any number of people willing to rent out her spare bedroom ... and for much more than Hux was able to give her.

Also, Phasma was, by nature, a nurturer. She was forever doing little things for Hux, like cooking him meals, doing his laundry, and things of that sort. Hux was (and had always been) very introverted, and had difficulty expressing his feelings. He always wished that he could force himself to be more open, to REALLY express how much he loved and appreciated her.

Even if she was always trying to shake him up and pull him out of his bubble.

Like tonight.

Having noticed how stressed out Hux had been this past week following several unsuccessful interviews, she decided to take the bull by the horns, and make Hux do something “fun” with her.

“You’ve never heard of a pet cafe?”

“No; what’s that?”

“You know, where you go in, have some food, and you’re surrounded by animals. The one I’m taking you to is mostly doggies, but —“

“Wait wait; the one you’re taking me too? When did I agree to this?”

Whether Hux had agreed or not, here they were.

Opening the door hit them both with a burst of warm air to the face, a pleasant change after having walked several blocks in the frigid November air.

“Hi!”, they were greeted immediately, by a smiling older woman. She was wearing a bright green apron decorated with festive Christmas-themed buttons, and embroidered across the front, in white lettering, was Solo Pet Cafe.

“Hello,” Phasma said, smiling as she took off her coat. “Table for two, please.”

The woman picked up two menus and led the way into a large, brightly-lit room. There was soft, cheerful music playing in the background, and several people sitting spread out amongst small wooden tables.

And dogs.

Big dogs, little dogs, older and puppies. Lounged out on the floor, cuddled up to the customers, napping in corners.

“Here you go,” the woman said, seating them at a table near the back wall. “Take some time, look over the menu. My name is Leia; can I get you some drinks to start?”

“Cherry Coke, please,” Phasma said, picking up her menu. “Hux?”

“Er, just water, thanks.”

After she walked away, Phasma said, quietly, “You should have gotten a real drink, Hux. Everything here is incredibly cheap.”

Hux opened his own menu, and gaped in surprise; Phasma hadn’t been kidding. There was nothing overtly fancy listed; everything was the typical burgers, fries, shakes kind of deal. But things were priced so cheaply that Hux had to wonder if this was a mistake.

“There’s no way a double burger and cheese fries is only $3.50,” Hux said, turning the page. “How could you afford to sell stuff that low?”

“Well, I did my research on this place. Apparently the owners are really wealthy, and this place is like, I dunno, a ‘fun’ thing for them. They’re huge animal lovers though; they care more about you leaving donations for the animal shelter they sponsor than what you’re paying for a burger.”

Before Hux could comment on that, Leia came back for their order. Phasma got chicken tenders and fries, and Hux (in an unusual spurt of appetite) ordered 2 big chili dogs and a side of nachos (for the incredibly low price of $5.50).

“That lady is one of the owners,” Phasma told him, when Leia had left again. “Supposedly there’s her, her husband, her son, and a family friend. Plus some waiters and dog-tenders.”

“Dog tenders?”

“Mm hmm. All the dogs and cats here live here. Like, the Solos are fostering them. There’s supposed to be a bunch of rooms in the back, with beds and food and toys, stuff like that. And they have people hired who take care of them during the day, and people who stay with them at night. Like, feed them and walk them and brush them. Anyone who’s interested in adopting one can talk to them about it, but I heard they’re brutal on applicants, because they want to be sure the animals go to the best homes possible.”

“That sounds like a really fun job,” Hux commented, taking a sip of his water.

“Doesn’t it? Especially if you love animals.”

“What? No, I meant the animals themselves have a really fun job. All they have to do all day is be played with and loved.”

Phasma laughed and nodded. “You’re right. Speaking of loved, though; I’ve been dying to go pet that Lab in the corner,” she said, pointing. “So I’m gonna go talk to it for awhile. Let me know when the food comes.”

Phasma trotted off, leaving Hux alone. He continued to drink his water, watching as the people around him ate, talked, and played with the dogs.

“Here you go,” came a voice from behind, startling Hux. He looked up, it was a man with a large tray in his hand, bearing Hux’s and Phasma’s food. On the opposite side of the tray was a little bowl filled with some kind of hard things, which the man set in the middle of the table.

“What’s that?”

“Dog treats. All of these guys are kind of greedy, and will start swarming once people get their food. But we ask that our customers don’t give them people food, so we give each table a little bowl of treats for them.”

“Huh. That’s smart,” Hux commented. He looked more closely at the guy; he was really quite tall. He had thick, somewhat wavy black hair, and deep brown eyes. His face was uniquely interesting, with several moles, a long nose, large ears, and lips so naturally pouty and red that they almost looked liked a woman’s. Going diagonally across his face, from top of the eye to bottom of the opposite cheek, was a scar, a faded white-pink. He was muscular; his forearms popping out of the T-shirt he was wearing, his green apron tied sloppily in the back. He had several earrings in his left ear, and what looked to be a tattoo peeking from underneath the sleeve of his right arm.

This guy ... he really didn’t look like the kind who would be all into animals like this.

“Hey ... don’t I know you?”

Hux looked up in surprise. “Huh?”

The guy sat down in Phasma’s seat, peering closely at Hux.

“You just look really familiar. Have you come in here before?”

Hux shook his head. “No.”

“Have you ever been to the record store on First and Stallshead?”

“Nope.”, Hux said, somewhat amused. Amused and ... pleased. It wasn’t often that he got a hot guy like this so close to him, and talking to him.

But still, the situation was making him just a bit flustered.

Hux had only come to accept his sexuality about two years ago, and so far, Phasma was the only one he’d confessed to. She had tried to set him up with male acquaintances numerous times, only to always be shot down by Hux. Hux’s lack of self-confidence and his shyness prevented him from trying to connect with guys on his own, making even talking to one in close quarters like these to be terribly daunting to him.

“Well, I’m positive I know you from some — wait! Do you work at that one place, that diner that’s kinda near the beach?”

“Oh, yeah, I do. Samuel’s?”

“That’s it!”, the guy said, clapping his hand down on the table. “I come in on Sunday nights sometimes. I really like your guys’ waffle fries. I’ve been trying to get my mom to start serving them here, but she doesn’t like waffle fries, so —“

 _Wait_ , Hux thought, as the man kept talking. _’Mom’? Does that mean he’s the owners’ kid that Phasma mentioned earlier?_

As if in answer to Hux’s question, Leia came by, a stern look on her face.

“Ben! If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a thousand times, no fraternizing with customers during your shift!”

The guy, “Ben”, apparently, rolled his eyes and got to his feet. “Alright, mom. Jeez.”

Leia left and Ben turned back to Hux, a smile on his face as he asked, “When’s the next time you work?”

“Uh ... tomorrow night, I think.”

“Okay,” was all Ben said, as he walked away with the tray. “Enjoy your food!”

Hux stared after him, confused. Where had that come from? Why was Ben being so friendly to him?

Was he THAT big a fan of waffle fries?

“That’s probably it,” Hux said to himself, as he lifted one of his chili dogs to his mouth. “Maybe he figures if he’s friendly here, I’ll give him free food or something at the diner.”

“Holy shit, Hux, that was amazing!”, Phasma said from behind him, startling him. He jumped a little, and in turn spilled a bit of chili on the front of his shirt.

“Jeez, lady,” Hux muttered, as he grabbed a handful of napkins. “What was amazing?”

“Did I imagine it, or was that really hot guy hitting on you just now?”

Hux’s eyes widened, and he had to take a calming sip of his water. “N-no? He just said I looked familiar, and then he figured out that he’s been to the diner before. That’s all.”

Phasma shook her head, and began dousing her chicken tenders with ketchup. “Hux. That guy sat down by you, he was leaning super-close to you, and didn’t I hear him ask if you were working tomorrow?”

_Were you spying on me here, or what?_

“So?”

“SO ... that means he’s interested in seeing you again.”

Hux chuckled and shook his head.

“Nah. He just likes our waffle fries.”

“You’re really naive if you think this is about waffle fries, Hux. I bet he shows up tomorrow night ... it’s practically like you have a date! Oh, what should you wear?!”

“We wear uniforms, remember? And it’s definitely not a date. You’re blowing things way out of proportion. Did the dog you were talking to give you some drugs or what?”

“Oh, speaking of that,” Phasma said, sensing that Hux wanted to change the subject, “These puppers are crazy-cute, and they’re so tame! But we’ve gotta hit up the room of cats for you, before we leave, huh?”

Hux nodded, picking up a handful of nachos. He appreciated that Phasma was trying to help, but he felt she was blowing things way out of proportion. And even if Ben, by some miracle, HAD been hitting on him ...

_It’d never work. Phasma already told me the guy’s family is rich ... plus he’s extremely good-looking. I’m as plain as white rice; I’m not in his league._

— — —

“Well, hello,” he said, smiling from ear to ear. He laid down his menu and folded his hands together in front of him, leaning forward and giving Hux his full attention. “Imagine seeing you here.”

It was the next night, and Hux was several hours into his shift. Customer traffic was unusually slow tonight, and in-between tables, Hux would go back to the kitchen and help with the dishes. 

“Holy shit, did you see that guy who just came in?”, one of the chefs, Danielle, asked one of the other dishwashers.

“The gorgeous one? Yes. I wish I could trade places with Milly; I’d love to serve him any day.”

The two giggled and Hux silently chuckled to himself. These two were always like this, swooning over who they considered to be attractive customers. Milly, the waitress who worked the section opposite Hux’s, was probably out there doing the same thing.

But before Hux could offer his input, Milly herself came into the kitchen, a frown on her face.

“Hux ... the guy at my table is requesting you, I think.”

“Huh??”

“He asked if there was a red headed man working tonight, and you’re the only redhead here, so —“

Hux quickly dried his hands and walked out, and his eyes went wide with surprise at seeing Ben Solo at the table in question.

_Don’t blush don’t blush don’t blush you idiot!_

“Hi again, um, Ben, was it?,” Hux responded now, trying to sound calm and casual.

“That’s not fair; you know my name, but I have no clue what yours is.”

Grimacing, Hux pointed to his name tag.

“Armitage? That’s really unusual.”

“Family name. I hate it. Most people just call me by my last name: Hux.”

“Hm. You don’t have any other nicknames?”

“Nope.”

“Can I give you one? Like ... how about ... Armie?”

Hux smiled. “That’s actually kinda cool. Okay. Armie. But aside from all that; what are you ordering?”

Ben picked his menu back up and scanned it. “Well, waffle fries, naturally. But I need more than that. What would you recommend for someone who’s worked all day without eating, and is ready to fall over from starvation?”

“Are you a meat lover, by chance?”

“Yep.”

“Then I’d suggest our 4-alarm pizza. It has pepperoni, Canadian bacon, ground beef and Italian sausage. It sounds kinda gross, but it’s actually really good. Plus, since it’s a whole pizza, chances are you’ll have leftovers. From personal experience, this is the BEST pizza to reheat at like, 3am. Best snack ever.”

“Then that’s what I’m getting. That, and the biggest size of waffle fries you have,” Ben declared, handing his menu to Hux.

As Hux turned to go back into the kitchen, Ben said, “Hey ... when’s your next break?”

“Oh, um ... the manager’s not here tonight, so me and my coworkers been taking them pretty much whenever.”

“Okay,” Ben replied, flashing Hux that same cheerful smile he’d given him at the Pet Cafe last week. Hux turned around quickly and kept walking, because this time there was no way he could control the blush on his face.

The diner was known for its fast service, and in almost no time at all, Ben’s food was ready. Hux brought it out to him carefully, and right as he was going to go back to the kitchen, Ben asked,

“Do you think you could take a break right now? I’d like it if you sat with me for a bit, share some of this monster-sized pizza.”

Hux glanced around; tonight _was_ one of their slower nights, and besides Ben, there were only two other small tables occupied.

“Um, sure. Let me just tell my coworker real quick.”

After Hux asked Milly to cover his side for him (noting with mild amusement the jealous look she was giving him) he joined Ben at his table, sitting down gently across from him.

“Holy shit, this IS good!”, Ben proclaimed, taking a large bite from his first slice. “You’re having some too, right?”

Although Hux wasn’t really hungry, he helped himself to a slice anyway, so as not to seem rude. He sat there chewing slowly and trying to think of something interesting to say, when Ben spoke to him first:

“So you don’t really like dogs, huh?”

Hux looked up at him. “What makes you say that?”

Ben reached for a second slice. “At the cafe the other day, I noticed you didn’t play with any of the pups at all. But your girlfriend was up every five seconds playing with some dog.”

Hux had to give himself a few moments, to digest what Ben had just said. In the first place ... Ben had been watching him? For what? And secondly —

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Hux said, taking a drink of his water. “She’s my roommate, my best friend, practically my sister ... everything but girlfriend.”

“Hm,” Ben said, nodding. When he offered no commentary beyond that, Hux went on:

“And I don’t dislike dogs, it’s just that I’m more of a cat person.”

“Ah, I see. I’m kinda the opposite; I don’t dislike cats but I’m more of a dog guy. Cats just hate me, for some reason. That’s how I got this,” Ben said, pointing to the faded scar that ran slanted along his face. “Mom brought in two new cats one day, and they were nervous, so I was trying to make them more comfortable. I got close and, don’t laugh, I was playing peek-a-boo. The second time I moved my hands, the little tan cat ripped me a good one with her claws. Hurt like hell.”

Hux wanted to laugh at the visual of Ben playing such a childish game with an animal, but he held it in.

“I’m sorry, Ben. But don’t worry; I heard that scars are the ‘in’ thing these days. Chicks dig scars.”

Ben chuckled and reached for a third slice of pizza. “I guess that would mean something to me, if I liked chicks.”

_Wait — there’s no effing way — Ben is like me?! Is that what he means? No, it can’t be. We were just talking about animals, after all; maybe he thought I literally meant chicks, like baby chickens._

Rather than question Ben on this (he suddenly felt incredibly shy and flustered), he took another bite of his own slice.

“So what’s your deal?”

Hux looked up again. “What?”

“Your deal. Like, are you in school? Do you work anywhere else?”

“Oh,” Hux said, and proceeded to tell Ben a little about himself. As he was talking, some part of himself was marveling at how difficult it was to maintain eye contact with Ben. The man had an intense gaze, seemingly without even meaning to, and looking into his deep brown eyes was like looking into a well; Hux was scared that if he looked too long, he’d drown in them.

“So you’ve got your Bachelor’s, huh?”, Ben commented when Hux was finished. “That’s impressive, but not surprising; you look like you’re really smart.”

Hux gave something between a chuckle and a sigh, reaching for his water again. “Being smart and having a degree isn’t doing me a whole lot of good, though, if I’m still working here, is it?”

Ben reached across the table and patted Hux’s shoulder, causing a tingling sensation to travel up and down the redhead’s arm. “Don’t get discouraged, Armie. The job market’s total shit right now. Keep looking, and I’m sure you’ll eventually find something you like.”

“I — I — um, it’s getting busy again so I should get back,” Hux said, quickly standing up. He knew he was blushing but at this point, the only way to save face was to get up and go. “Thanks for the pizza.”

Ben waved his hand as if it was unimportant. “Of course. I’ll probably be here for a bit longer, if you find yourself with a break again.”

Hux nodded, gave Ben what he hoped was a natural-looking smile, and got the hell out of there. 

All of that — the “chicks” comment, asking Hux to share his food, the pat on the arm — was that Ben, flirting? Or was Hux just _really_ misinterpreting things, and making too much out of Ben being friendly?

Deciding that he felt too awkward to face him again, Hux asked Milly to take back over Ben’s table. Thankfully, traffic picked up a little more by then, and Hux was kept busy (and away from Ben) the rest of the evening.

Finally, 10pm rolled around, and, after the last of the customers had left, Hux began his usual cleaning-up duties, along with the rest of the crew.

As he was bringing a tray of dishes into the kitchen, he almost bumped into Milly, who was coming out of the door Hux was walking into. She held the door for him and waited until he’d put his things down, before approaching him.

“Oh, before I forget,” she said, pulling a slip of paper from her apron pocket, “That guy, the one with the pizza, said to give this to you.”

She went back into the kitchen, leaving Hux alone with the paper. He unfolded it, and what he read there had him flabbergasted.

 ** _I really enjoyed talking to you. The next time you’re not busy, give me a call. Let’s hang out!_** , followed by a phone number.

A. Phone. Number.  
_**Ben’s** phone number._

“You okay?”

Hux jumped; in his daze he hadn’t even noticed Phil, the head cook, come up behind him. He quickly slipped the paper into his pocket.

“Yeah I’m good; just a little tired.”

“I hear ya, man. Hey you want me to make you anything before I shut down the grill?”

(All diner employees were given one free meal during their shift, and Hux usually took his to-go).

Hux shook his head. “Thanks, but that’s okay. I’m just gonna finish up the tables in here, then head out.”

“Okay; have a good night!”

“You, too,” Hux replied, grabbing the bottle of cleaner and a rag from the shelf. He needed to occupy his mind with something, with _anything_ , until he could get home and talk to Phasma.

— — —

“Yeah, but ‘hang out’ doesn’t necessarily mean a date, right?,” Hux stated, rubbing his hands across his eyes. “Me and you hang out all the time and we’re not dating.”

“Fair point, BUT, from all the things you described him doing, it sounds a lot like he was flirting with you.”

Hux sighed. It was two nights later, and Hux and Phasma were having the same conversation he’d had the night before, when Hux had come home from work and told him about Ben’s note. Phasma had, of course, been ecstatically excited, and she’d spent the majority of the past few hours trying to convince Hux that Ben had, indeed, been hitting on him.

But Hux wasn’t quite so convinced.

“I think he’s just one of those really friendly people,” he said now, getting up and taking his plate to the sink. He’d made dinner tonight, and was pleased that Phasma had seemed to enjoy his attempt at beef stir-fry. Despite having worked at a diner for so long, Hux’s own culinary skills were often severely lacking. “Lots of people are like that.”

Phasma rolled her eyes as she brought her own plate to him. Leaning against the sink, she said, “Okay, and I’m sure lots of people take special care to find out when somebody works so as to pop in and surprise them. And then invite that person to eat with them. And then leave them a sweet note about wanting to spend even more time together. Is that what you’re saying, Hux? Hm?”

Unable to help it, Hux told her, grinning, “He also gave me a nickname, kind of. He asked if he could call me ‘Armie’.”

Phasma squealed and smacked Hux’s shoulder. Hux winced; Phasma was quite a bit stronger than she realized.

“You asshole! Why didn’t you mention that part?!”, she exclaimed, shaking her head. “Okay now I’m 1000% positive, he WAS being flirty with you!”

She ran into the living room and grabbed the slip of paper from the top of the bookshelf, where Hux had left it. She also grabbed Hux’s cellphone from the table, and brought both into the kitchen.

“Please, pleeeease call him, Hux!”, she said, holding his things out to him. 

“I — I can’t! I wouldn’t even know what to say!”

“Well, he said he wanted to hang out, right? So invite him to hang out!”

“Phasma, I —“

“Oh, I know!”, she said, running back into the living room. She came back in with two blue tickets.

“What’s that?”

“Remember when I was telling you that my job was giving away tickets to the holiday lights festivals that they have at the zoo every weekend? Well, here; take these and ask him to go.”

“B-but, don’t you want to use them yourself?”

Phasma shook her head. “Nope. I went with my coworkers two weeks ago, remember? It’s really cool; all the animal exhibits are decorated with Christmas lights, there’s a really huge gorgeous Christmas tree, and there’s stands up all over selling stuff like gingerbread men, hot chocolate, stuff like that.”

“But —“

“Look, it’ll be perfect. They will be lots of other people around, so you won’t feel awkward like it’s just the two of you, and there’s so much to see that you won’t run out of things to talk about.”

Hux sighed and nodded. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. But don’t listen while I call, okay? I’m already nervous.”

Phasma hugged him and kissed his cheek. “Good luck! I’ll be in my room; let me know what happens!”

He waited until he heard Phasma’s door close, sat down in a chair in the living room, took a deep breath, and dialed the number on the paper.

Ben picked up after three rings.

“Hello?”

“H-hi. Ben? Um, this is Hux. Armitage Hux.”

A short pause, and then an exuberant “Hey!! Oh, wow; I was wondering if you were ever gonna call!”

Hux was glad that Ben couldn’t see how hard he was blushing over the phone.

“So um ... you said you maybe wanted to hang out?”, Hux asked, then went into detail about the tickets he now had, and the things Phasma had told him about the festival. 

At the end of his explanation, he held his breath, scared. He still thought that he was right; that Ben was just the extremely friendly type, who had no real interest in —

“That sounds like the coolest shit ever,” Ben said, and Hux could tell by his tone that he was smiling. “When is it?”

“The tickets are good for any Saturday or Sunday all this month. I’m usually off on the weekends, so what time is good for you?”

“This Saturday works for me! The sooner the better,” Ben replied, and Hux had to wonder what he’d meant by that. The sooner the better? Did he mean that he couldn’t wait to go to this thing, or that he really didn’t want to go, and meant he’d rather get it over with as soon as possible?

Or ... did he mean he wanted to see _Hux_ that much sooner?

“Okay. This Saturday, then,” Hux replied, and immediately felt his heart start to pound. Was this ... was this going to be his first date? “I’ll pick you up, say around 11am?”

“Sounds good; I’ll text you my address Saturday morning.”

“Okay. See you then.”

“I’m looking forward to it. Bye, Armie,” Ben said, and then hung up. Hux sat and stared down at his phone for so long that his legs, which had been curled up underneath him, started to go to sleep.

Which was a shame; because Hux rather felt like doing cartwheels at that moment.

— —

Picking up Ben has been a bit of a surprise.

All morning long, Hux had fought with himself and his nerves. Several times he had picked up his phone with the intention of calling Ben and postponing this outing, because Hux was so nervous that his heart was dancing nearly out of his chest.

A warm shower had helped some, and Phasma’s words of encouragement had helped a LOT, but still.

When Hux drove to the address Ben had texted him (after having plugged it into his cars GPS), he had been expecting a fancy, possibly gated house. After all, the Solos were wealthy, and Ben was (presumably) single and unmarried, so chances were he’d live with them, right?

But when Hux pulled up, he found Ben sitting outside on the side steps of an average, run of the mill apartment complex. He had two disposable coffee cups in his hands, and he balanced one on the roof of Hux’s car as he opened the door.

“Hey!”, he said, and Hux was taken again by his gorgeous the man’s smile was. “I hope you don’t mind but it’s kinda cold out, so I made us both some hot chocolate.”

Hux smiled and picked up his cup, taking a sip. The warmth and the sweetness helped to calm him even further. “That’s so nice of you. Thanks!”

“No problem. Oh my God ... wow.”

“Huh?”

“That color on you ... it’s making your eyes pop.”

Hux looked down at himself. He was wearing a light blue jacket (it wasn’t a heavy coat but it was padded with down on the inside, so it was incredibly warm) and blue skinny jeans. He hadn’t chosen the colors thinking of his eyes at all ... but he was pleased that he’d made an impression on Ben.

“Thank you,” he said, as he shifted out of park and pulled away from the curb. “Hey, um, I hope you don’t think I’m a jerk or anything because I asked you to do something outside with me when it’s chilly out. If you think it’s too cold we can do something else.”

But Ben was shaking his head. “No. I love holiday-type stuff like this. And looking at Christmas lights is one of my favorite things to do.”

“Good!”

The two talked the entire drive there (which was about 20 minutes long), and several times, Hux had to catch himself from blurting out “Are we on a date right now?” 

Instead, he commented, looking sideways at Ben, “You smell really nice. Can I ask what cologne you wear?”

“Thanks! Um, it doesn’t have a name, I made it myself.”

“What??”

Ben shrugged, taking another sip of his drink before answering, “A hobby of mine. I have a bunch of different scents in tiny bottles, like vanilla, jasmine, citrus, spice, oak, etcetera. I experiment with them to come up with new smells.”

“That’s ... wow. That’s really impressive. Is it hard to do, mixing stuff like that?”

“I’ve been doing this since high school, so I don’t find it hard; but others might. You have to be so careful with some smells, like not to put too much of one thing or another. And it’s also something I can’t do for extended periods of time.”

“How come?”

“I’m super-sensitive to smells, and working with them for more than like, an hour or so at a stretch leaves me with a bad headache.”

Hux was glad, that they had found something interesting to talk about on the ride there. He still felt awkward, with Ben, and preferred to listen to him talk rather than talk himself.

“Hey; since you like this one, I’ll call it Eau de Armie. I’ll put your face on all the bottles and mass-manufacture it.”

“You probably wouldn’t even sell one bottle if you put my face on it,” Hux commented. They had reached the zoo now, and were currently in the car-line for the ticket booth.

“Yeah; probably not, because I’d end up wanting to keep all the bottles for myself.”

_What the —?_

“Er ... you know you probably don’t need a get-rich quick scheme like that. I mean, your parents are pretty well set, right? You could probably take over the pet cafe and —“

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Ben said, shaking his head. They had gotten past the ticket booth, Hux had found a parking spot (miraculously close to the front gates) and now they were walking inside. Hux couldn’t help but let out a little sigh of contentment; this was just as beautiful as Phasma said it would be. Colorful strings of lights, reds and blues and greens, golds and silvers, hung glittering from every surface, every exhibit, every wall, and booths were set up all around (also covered in lights) offering all kinds of treats and souvenirs.

“Why not?”, Hux questioned Ben’s statement, as they came upon the elephant exhibit.

“Because I don’t wanna be ‘that guy’, you know? The spoiled rich kid that lives off of their parents. I want to make something of myself, on my own. Do my own thing.”

Hux nodded. Ben was continuing to surprise him. “So what do you want to be? Or do?”

“You won’t laugh if I tell you?”

“Of course not.”

“Well, I’m really into the whole body art scene. I think I’d really like to be a tattoo artist. Study and hone the craft until I become one of the best, then open up my own place.”

They had left the elephant exhibit, and were approaching Hux’s favorite, the zebras.

“That’s really ambitious, Ben. I love that. So do you study um, what would you call it? Graphic arts, then?”

Ben nodded. “Yeah. I’m in a training program right now, and when I finish it, I have to seek out an apprenticeship somewhere, to study under a professional. From there I have to work on building up a portfolio of my own designs and inkings, and then, get licensed.”

“So basically you’re an artist? Well, I’d love to see some of your sketches or drawings sometime.”

Ben stopped walking, took off his coat, and rolled up his sleeve.

“This one is mine, actually. I mean I didn’t ink it on myself but I drew the design, and the tattoo artist put it on me.”

Hux looked closely. It was a very realistic depiction of a fire, with red-orange flames licking around a _hyper_ -realistic gray-green skull. Written above it, in beautiful calligraphy, were the words “Let The Past Die”.

“Jesus Christ,” Hux muttered, unable to stop staring. Hardly realizing he was doing it, he reached out and gently took hold of Bens arm, turning it slowly this way and that, to better study the design. “You drew this??”

Ben nodded. “Yeah. Admittedly not one of my better pieces, but —“

“Are you fucking with me? This is AMAZING. If this is one of your ‘lesser’ works then I’d be terrified to see what you consider a great one, because something like that would probably blow my eyes out.”

He let go of Ben’s arm and into his face — and his eyes widened a bit. Ben ... was he **blushing**?

 _Of course he’s not blushing,_ Hux said to himself, feeling embarrassed that he’d even thought that. _He’s probably just cold from standing in the open air with his coat off like this._

As if to confirm Hux’s theory, Ben rolled his sleeve back down and put his coat on again, murmuring a “Thank you,” to Hux’s compliment. They were outside the monkey house now, and they headed inside, each enjoying the blast of warm (if somewhat smelly) air that hit them.

“I’m bored talking about me,” Ben said, as they slowly made their way through the different sections of prime-apes. “What about you? What kind of things do you want in life?”

“Well, this is going to sound boring after what you said, but ... I’ve always been really good at math, and dealing with numbers, you know? What I’d like is to someday be an account manager at a good company. Like handle sales, and getting clients, things like that.”

“That doesn’t sound boring at all. And clearly you have the brain for it. But I don’t think I could handle something like that, though. I’m not as responsible as I’d need to be, or as smart; and my math is embarrassing.”

Hux chuckled. “There’s different kinds of smart, you know. I’m geek-smart, you’re creative-smart.”

“What about that guy down there?”, Ben asked, pointing down at a red-bottomed monkey that was in the middle of flinging it’s excrement at another monkey. “What kind of smart is he?”

“He’s God-level smart. I mean, he’s protecting his food and his territory, all while getting rid of unpleasant smells. I aspire to be that kind of brilliant,” Hux joked, which set them both to laughing. When they stopped, Ben, his hands gripping the railing of the gorilla pit, said, somewhat timidly,

“Can I ask you something else?”

“Of course.”

“Okay, um ... so that girl you were with at the cafe. The one you said isn’t your girlfriend ... well, uh, d-do you have a girlfriend, at all? Like, someone else?”

Hux’s heartbeat picked up again. Why was Ben asking him this? Just out of friendly curiously? Or because —

“No, I don’t have a girlfriend. A girlfriend isn’t something I’m looking for,” Hux said, slowly, carefully. He wouldn’t offer any more detail than that; let Ben make of his words what he would.

Ben just nodded. Hux thought about asking him the same question back, but ultimately decided against it. Instead, he said, with a smile,

“You look kind of cold. I noticed one of those snack shops across the way; let’s go over there. Let me get you a hot chocolate or a coffee or something. Pay you back for the one you brought me earlier.”

— —

They got through the rest of the exhibits fairly quickly, laughing and munching on snacks and taking pictures of all the lights. 

Ben even stopped a passers by and asked her to snap a picture of the two of them in front of the giant Christmas tree.

Eventually they had circled back around to the entrance, and it was time to go.

Getting in the car was odd, for Hux. He had just spent the majority of the day with this man, yet he still had no clue what his intentions were. Was that something Hux could just ask? After all, Ben was incredibly easy to talk to; so even if Hux had made a mistake in thinking ((hoping)) that today had been a date of sorts, well, maybe Ben wouldn’t react too harshly to it.

“So ... can I ask you something, Ben?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Um ... why did you want to hang out with me? I mean, you hardly know me, not really, so I was just wondering why you left me that note at the cafe?”

Ben was quiet for a few moments, and Hux kept his eyes on the road, allowing Ben to think. 

“If I told you the reason why, you’ll probably kick me out of the car.”

Hux glanced at him. Ben had his coat on, and Hux’s car heater was cranked up ... so there should have been no earthly reason for Ben’s face to be red.

But it WAS.

“I promise I won’t kick you out. At least, not until we’re off the freeway,” Hux said, joking a bit. “So tell me.”

“You said that I don’t know you all that well. The same goes for you, with me. But I don’t want that to be the case.”

“So — so you want to be _friends_? Is that what you mean?”

“Um ... no. Well yes, I’d like us to be friends, definitely. But um ... what if, um, what if I said I was interested in a little more than that?”

“H-huh?”

“I’m not so good at reading other people’s preferences, you know. I never have been. And I’m not trying to be offensive if what I say isn’t something you’re into, but ... I really like your smile. I ... please don’t kick me out, but I think you’re cute. And ... I put ‘let’s hang out’ on that note because I wasn’t sure what you’d think if I put what I really wanted, which was, well, I wanted to ask you out. On a date.”

When Hux (who was now in a state of shock) didn’t respond, Ben went on:

“And then you called me and I didn’t think that you would, and you asked me to go with to the zoo and I was so nervous and excited and scared that I couldn’t even eat this morning, because I’ve never asked a guy out before, but then I thought that I DIDN’T ask you out, not really, and that you really probably thought that we were just hanging out, but —“

Hux interrupted Ben’s jumbled speech by pulling over at a curb on a random street, and putting the car in park. Ben’s entire face blanched, and he held up his hands defensively.

“Oh shit I’m sorry, that freaked you out, didn’t it? I’m sorry I’ll get out!”

Ben started to unbuckle his seatbelt, but before he could get it off, Hux’s arms were around him, squeezing him warmly. Ben was so confused that he couldn’t remember how to speak, so Hux spoke instead, saying,

“Sorry; I had to pull over because you looked so scared and you clearly needed a hug.”

“I — uh —“

“I’ve been worried this whole day, too. Because I wanted this to be a date so bad but I was scared to ask if this was what it was because if it wasn’t I didn’t want to come across as like, desperate or something. I like your smile, too! And I’d be really interested in getting to know you better, as well.”

Finally, Ben seemed to unfreeze, and he hugged Hux back, flooding the redhead with warmth.

“So ... at the risk of sounding corny, do you want to go have dinner somewhere? It’s on me.”

Hux smiled and put the car back in motion, pulling away from the curb. “I sure would. Do you have anywhere particular in mind?”

“Yeah! There’s this really cool restaurant out by 173rd and Jackson,” Ben told him, grinning. “No offense, but their waffle fries blow your guy’s waffle fries out of the water.”

“Geez; you’re really obsessed with them, aren’t you?”

“Damn right. Actually I have a bunch of really weird obsessions like that. And I’m sure you’ve got some, too. So that means we’re going to HAVE to see each other fairly often, here, to truly get to know each other.”

“No objections here,” Hux said, and the two laughed together again as they headed towards their destination. As excited as he was for dinner ...he was even more excited to go home and tell Phasma about this.


End file.
